My best friend's girl
by undertow13
Summary: Your best friend left the country to study abroad. He asked you to take care of his girl friend. What if you accidentally fell in love with your best friend's girl friend? Kyouya/Haruhi.. a better summary inside
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I am the richest girl in the world ;p wishful thinking**

--

During haruhi's 2nd year at ouran, tamaki finally confessed to her. They started dating, but other than hugging and holding hands, haruhi and tamaki never had an intimate relationship; probably because they were both busy, so they didn't have much time for each other. Haruhi with her studies, and tamaki with his studies and his family's business. To be honest, they look more like "BFFs" than a couple.

After haruhi and the twins had graduated Ouran, tamaki had announced that he will leave for France. There, he will pursue his studies and will have an intense preparation to inherit the Suoh business empire. Haruhi, of course, cannot do anything to stop Tamaki; she knew that this will be for Tamaki's sake. Meanwhile, the their two seniors, Mori and Hunny, had also left the country two years ago, after they graduated. Mori had decided to continue his judo training in China, while Hunny had decided to specialize at culinary arts in Italy. As for the twins, they will go to Paris to pursue their education in fashion.

--

"Haruhi.. I'm really sorry.."  
"You don't have to tamaki.. I wish you the best.."  
"I will be back haruhi.. And I promise that I will call you always.."

Haruhi forced herself to smile. She was so sad that Tamaki would have to leave her. Mori, Hunny, Hikaru, and Kaoru had already left her; now, Tamaki will leave soon. She knew that she would burst in tears any minute now, but she decided to stay strong. She didn't want Tamaki to see her crying; she knew that Tamaki would feel guilty for her.

"Haruhi, here..." Tamaki handed her a small pink envelop. "Uhm, I think it would be better if you'll open it later.."  
"Oh.. Okay.." Haruhi stared at the letter in her hands. Then, she looked at tamaki. "Thank you Tamaki.. Take care of yourself okay?"  
"Hai! You too!"

Few feet away from them was the dark-haired former vice-president of the host club. Apparently, kyouya stayed in Japan because the main office of  
their family's business was in here. Wanting to inherit the company, Kyouya knew that it would be the best for him if he stay in here. He had  
just finished talking in his cellphone when he looked at his wrist watch to check the time. Kyouya walked towards Tamaki and Haruhi.

"Tamaki, you don't want to be late for your flight now, do you?" the shadow king inquired.  
Although Tamaki have a couple of private planes, he had decided to ride in a commercial plane. Tamaki, being himself, was always fascinated with the 'commoners' ways.

"Oh! Thanks kyouya! I almost forgot about the time!" tamaki had shouted excitedly. He turned to Haruhi, "I think I should go now.."  
"Well, you should.." Haruhi said with a giggle. No matter how sad she was that time, Tamaki's antics never failed to make her laugh. "Remember, you are not using your private plane this time."

Tamaki just scratched his head, probably out of embarrassment. Then, he looked at Kyouya, "Kyouya.. I will miss you monami! Take care okay?"

"Baka..", was the only response he got from the shadow king. Well, tamaki knew that Kyouya wasn't an expressive type of person. He knew  
that Kyouya was just acting to look cold, but deep inside him was a very caring person.

"Kyouya, I have a favor to ask you.." Tamaki said quite seriously.  
"Please take care of Haruhi.." Kyouya never saw tamaki that serious before.

"You really want to miss your flight, don't you?" the shadow king smirked.  
"Of course not.. Okay! Okay! Bye now haruhi, kyouya.." With that, tamaki turned around and started to walk towards the gate. Before entering, he  
looked back and waved at Haruhi and Kyouya. Haruhi waved back at him. 'Take care of her Kyouya...' he thought as he stared at the two. Then,  
he proceeded to the gate.

--

Inside Kyouya's limo, on the drive back to Haruhi's house, the silence was deafening. The two never spoke to each other since they left the  
airport. Haruhi was staring outside the window, deeply engrossed in her thoughts. Kyouya took a glance at the small girl beside him. As much as  
he wanted to comfort her, he was trying so hard to control himself because it was obviously not his nature to 'care' for someone. But this  
girl wasn't just 'someone' for him, this girl is a person which he actually learned to care for; although not in a romantic way. Well, that's what he kept on saying to himself.

The limo stopped in front of Haruhi's house. The chauffer had opened the door for them. Haruhi stepped out, followed by Kyouya.  
Haruhi looked back at him and met his gaze.  
"Arigato senpai.. I don't know what I will do if you weren't here.."  
"Ah.. Don't mention it..", he said in a typical Kyouya-tone.  
"Anou.. Senpai.. Do you want to come in?" the small girl asked.  
"No.. It's okay. Maybe next time..", he said in a more gentle voice. "I have other things to... attend to."  
"Oh okay..", haruhi said while looking at down, obviously feeling sad.  
Kyouya felt guilty for this. But he really had some important things to do.

Haruhi looked up when she heard the shadow king cleared his throat.  
"But, I would appreciate it if you would prepare a lunch for me tomorrow..", kyouya said. "That is.. If you're not busy."  
"No! Tomorrow is fine!", haruhi responded enthusiastically. She really needed a friend by her side right now, to ease the the emptiness she was  
feeling. But she wouldn't tell it directly to Kyouya. Of course not. She knew that the shadow king wasn't someone who would pamper her.

Later that night, Haruhi had opened Tamaki's letter to her. Inside it was a picture of them, when they went to a park. Haruhi was wearing her  
typical style of clothes, while tamaki was wearing a commoners' type of clothes. They were sitting side by side, with a big smiles on their  
faces. They didn't look like a couple, but they looked really happy with each other.

At the back of the letter was tamaki's handwriting,

_Haruhi,  
This is not the end,  
This is not good bye,  
This is I'll miss you, Till we meet again._

_-Tamaki_

Haruhi felt the tears in her cheeks. She just can't deal with it whenever one of her friends leave her. She had also felt this way when  
Mori, Hunny, and the twins had left the country. Now, she was so thankful that Kyouya was still here in Japan. She really hoped that  
Kyouya would not leave the country as well..

--

A/N: Phew! whaaaat... this is my second fanfiction.. my other fanfic is also on-going.. but, i definitely wont abandon that one... the plot of this story just popped out of my mind last night.. then, i was like, hmm.. Why not write it? lol

For those people who had experienced a "long distance" relationship, you guys might probably be able to relate to this story... (I'm one of them!) lol

well, that kind of relationship is indeed complicated.. but, let's see what will happen among Tamaki, Haruhi, and Kyouya

I would appreciate reviews! that encourages me to write more.. lol.. more reviews, sooner update and yea, this fic is unbeta-ed.. so if anyone is willing to volunteer, please be my guest :P


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER..** ouran isn't mine! TT **kyouya: **of course... (smirked at me)

enjoy!

--

The sun was starting to rise when Ranka got home from work. He went straight to his daughter's room. Honestly, he was worriedly sick about Haruhi  
last night, for he knew that his little girl's weakness was 'saying goodbye' to the people she cared for.  
A pang of guilt hit Ranka as he watched his daughter's sleeping figure. Obviously, Haruhi had cried a lot again; her eyes, although closed, were  
obviously swollen. Ranka had noticed that haruhi didn't even changed into her night clothes, so he wondered if Haruhi even ate dinner last night.  
He walked towards his sleeping daughter and bent down on the side of her bed. He kissed her forehead and stood up.  
He was ready to leave the room when a frail voice stopped him.

"Dad?"

"Oh! Haruhi dear.. How are you?"  
"I'm okay dad". She started to stand up when she suddenly felt dizzy.  
"Haruhi! What's wrong?" ranka asked as he put his hand on haruhi's forehead. "You have a fever Haruhi! Let's bring you to the doctor!"

"No need dad." She said as she leaned back to her pillows. "I just need a rest... besides, kyouya-senpai is coming for lunch.."  
"Oh!! Kyouya-kun! You should've told me right away!" ranka said enthusiastically, as he giggled in delight. "Okay dear, just rest for now.. I'll prepare the lunch later.."

"I can do it dad. You are the one who should be resting. You just came from work.", the girl argued.

"Well at least I don't have a 'fever'..", ranka said pointedly. "If your condition gets worse, that would be a bigger problem for the two of us my dear!", he continued.

Haruhi knew that her dad would insist on her getting rest. She sighed, and then closed her eyes.

--

Ranka was about to prepare the lunch when the telephone rang. It was Kyouya. Unfortunately, Kyouya had some things to settle so he told ranka  
that he couldn't show up for the supposed 'lunch'. Ranka, being so obsessed with Kyouya, had convinced him to come for dinner instead. The  
shadow king had agreed to that.

Lunch time came and Ranka went back to Haruhi's room to check on her. He brought some noodles for haruhi to eat. It was some spicy hot ramen  
which was actually haruhi's favorite. Ranka had also informed his daughter that kyouya couldn't make it for lunch, but he will come for dinner.  
After eating, the tired father and the sick daughter had decided to rest for a moment while waiting for their guest tonight.

--

Haruhi's slumber was interfered by the chattering voices outside of her bedroom. She had looked at the clock and was actually surprised to see that she had  
slept for almost 6 hours. Well, it was already past 7pm now. She had heard her father talking excitedly to the man which he practically worshiped. Haruhi stepped out of the room to see what was going on. She saw her father and the shadow king seated in front of the dining table with the foods ready.

"Good evening Haruhi" her dark-haired senpai spoke as he gestured for her to sit. "I see that you are not feeling well..", he added.

"Senpai.. I'm okay.." Haruhi knew that kyouya was just being a 'nice' guy because they were in front of her father.

"Of course you're not haruhi!" ranka butted in. "Good thing kyouya-kun agreed to take care of you while I work tonight..!!"

Haruhi's reverie was fully awakened when she had realized what her father just said. "But dad! No! I mean.. Kyouya-senpai is a busy person  
you know! Dad you can't.." she then turned to kyouya and said, "senpai, please tell dad that you are not available.. You're busy right?"

The shadow king smirked a little. "I'm always busy haruhi.."

She was more than grateful with kyouya's response. However, when the shadow king continued speaking, haruhi had realized that she SHOULDN'T HAVE invited  
him in the first place, "but I couldn't deny Ranka-san's request.. It's just one night haruhi..", he continued as he flushed a smile which haruhi labeled as 'fake'. Haruhi just sighed in defeat.

The three had started to eat dinner. Kyouya was actually uncomfortable with the foods ranka had prepared, but he wouldn't let the Fujiokas  
notice that. He was hesitant to eat these 'commoners' foods at first, but when he finally got to taste one, he had realized that it wasn't that bad. Truth be told, he liked it.

The dinner went along well. Ranka's enthusiasm was consistent throughout the night. Kyouya, as haruhi had observed, was more talkative than  
the usual. Well, she should've known by now that **whatever** kyouya was showing her father was only a facade - that she had told herself.

The small dinner was finished with the fruits that Kyouya brought.

"Kyouya-kun! These fruits are so tasty! They're really fresh!", ranka exclaimed.

"Thank you. I made sure that I've got only the best quality", the dark haired boy said smiling. "Those fruits are actually exclusive.", he added.

Haruhi just rolled her eyes, thinking that the shadow king's words actually meant _"those fruits are expensive."_

"Really? Wow! That's so nice of you!", the okama was obviously so impressed with the boy. He glanced at his wrist watch and took note of the time.  
"Oh my.. The time sure is fast.. I have to leave you guys now.", he said as he headed to the door. The two teens followed him to bid goodbye.  
"Haruhi, feel better okay? And kyouya-kun, thank you so much for this favor!", he finished.

"My pleasure ranka-san.", the boy said in a gentleman way.  
"Bye dad. Take care!", haruhi said as he hugged her father.  
"Okay then! Have a good night you two!", he said happily as we opened the door and started to walk.

--

When Ranka was out of sight, Haruhi had closed the door and turned to kyouya. "Senpai.. You could leave now.", she said bluntly.

Kyouya's eyebrow twitched at Haruhi's words. Yes, he wasn't an emotional nor a sensitive person, but hey, haruhi's statement was more than enough  
to break a normal person's heart.

"So, you wanted to kick me out now haruhi?.. If I'm not mistaken, you're the one who invited me here..", kyouya said.

"Iye. Senpai I didn't mean it that way.. Yes, I invited you. But that was for **'lunch'**, not for a **'sleep over'**..", she said.

Well, it wasn't like she wanted to drive kyouya away. It was just that she didn't want to take some of kyouya's **'precious time'**. Who knows? What if kyouya was  
actually planning to charge her for this?

Kyouya had started to walk towards the living room. He settled himself on the not-so-cozy-couch. Haruhi followed him, watching him closely.

"You know me haruhi.. I do not do things without merits.. Besides, I wouldn't argue with you if your dad didn't ask me to watch you..", he said with a bored tone.

Haruhi, who was still standing up, walked in front of kyouya and bent down a little to see his eyes. "Then, what would you gain from this  
senpai?" The girl was eager to know what would kyouya gain from taking care of her. She couldn't really help herself to trust Kyouya's motives.

"That's for me to know haruhi.", he said with a smirked. "Don't make such a fuss. I don't see why my stay in here would be a big deal..", there was a slight annoyance in his voice.

The little girl let out a heavy sigh. Kyouya was right, his stay in her house was not a big deal at all. Then, she had realized that her  
headache was coming back again. Her hand automatically reached out comfort her burning forehead. When the shadow king saw this, he stood up  
and touched haruhi's forehead.

"Your fever is not that high. But I would suggest for you to rest now.."  
He calmly said as he directed haruhi to the couch. "Where's your medicine box? I'll see what I could give you."

"Oh.. It's on the third cabinet in the kitchen.", haruhi had weakly responded.

With that, kyouya walked to get the supplies. It took him a while to figure out the best medicine that he could give to haruhi.  
Well, obviously, he wasn't familiar with the **'commoners'** brands of medicine, some of which were even the **'generic'** type.

When he came back to the living room, he saw that haruhi was now in the dreamworld. The unwell state of the sleeping girl could easily be traced  
in her frowning face. Kyouya shook her a little and tried to get her to wake up for a moment to take the medication. She just moaned and stirred a little.  
"Mmmmm..."  
"Haruhi..", he tried again.  
"Tamaki..?", she whispered.  
"No. It's me, Kyouya..", he shook her again. "You have to take your medicine.. Unless of course you enjoy having a headache.."

Haruhi slowly opened her eyes and tried to escape the dreamworld. "Ah... senpai..", haruhi said as she carefully moved into a sitting position.  
"Here.", the shadow king handed her the tablets and a glass of water.  
"Arigato..", she said after she had took everything.

"Why don't you move in your room now haruhi?", he inquired. "I have no intention of carrying you over there you know.", he stated as a matter-of-factly.

"Of course.", haruhi answered plainly as she stood up and was about to go to the kitchen to put the glass on the sink. Kyouya stopped her  
however. "Give me that..", he pointed to the glass. "Just continue your rest now.", he ordered her.

Haruhi was too tired to argue with kyouya so she just let the shadow king win this time. She went to her room and got back to her slumber.

--

Meanwhile, Kyouya was stuck alone inside the fujioka's living room doing **nothing**. He was bored indeed. How he wished that he had brought his  
precious laptop with him. Well, he didn't really expect ranka's request so he was unprepared.  
He tried to find something to do to kill his time. His eyes wandered around the room. His attention was caught by something that looked like a photo  
album. He walked over and took the rather old album. Kyouya knew that that could be considered as an 'invasion of privacy', but he reasoned  
himself out that he couldn't stand the boredom anymore.

He started flipping the first few pages of the album. He carefully observed the fujioka family's happy picture. Ranka and his wife had  
their brightest smiles on their faces while carrying a laughing baby-haruhi. Kyouya, upon seeing that picture, felt a bit jealous, although  
he would never admit that to himself. Not once in his life did he saw a picture of him with his family smiling like that. He turned the pages  
and looked at haruhi's _developmental-stages-pictures_. It was complete from the day she was born, to her 1st month, 2nd month, 3rd.. 4th.. and  
so on..

A lot of those photos were candidly taken. He would have to laugh at haruhi's naked baby picture with chocolate pudding all over her  
mouth. 'If I had discovered these pictures when we were still in highschool, I wonder how much those 'idiots' would pay for these.', he thought as the  
businessman-kyouya was awakened in him. He was sure that his fellow hosts would die just to get these pictures of haruhi.  
"Well, I could still sell this to tamaki..", he said softly as he took out that picture of haruhi and placed it in his pocket.

He continued to look at the pictures. When he had finished looking over the 10 photo albums, he had decided to look over them **'again'**.. "Well, I  
might had missed something that I could use in the future..", he told himself trying to justify why he needed to look at the 10 albums for the  
**second time**.  
After satisfying himself, and stealing over 27 haruhi pictures, Kyouya had decided to call this a night. He had settled himself into the  
uncomfortable couch. He didn't know what position he would do because he was too long for the couch. To be honest, kyouya was tempted to sleep on  
ranka's bed; however, he knew that that wasn't a good idea. Well, unfortunately, this apartment had only one bedroom, meaning that he  
would have sleep on the same room with haruhi if he ever wanted to pursue a comfortable sleep. Even though there were two beds on that  
room, kyouya was sure that ranka wouldn't like the idea of that.

And so, the night had ended with the shadow king sleeping in a sitting position on the couch.. "The 27 pictures from your album are the payment  
for 'this' haruhi..", the the dark haired boy muttered in his sleep.  
Well, it somehow proved that even in sleep, the shadow king was always into business and merits.. :p

**--**

**--**

**A/N:** awww.. kyouya sure loved haruhi's picture ne? i kinda think that kyou-chan has a crush on haruhi! right kyouya?

Kyouya: No... You're delusional..

Me: aww.. no need to deny it you know.. is it really hard to admit it?

Kyouya: (glared at me.. with the purple background surrounding him)

Haruhi: Hey!! Why are some of my pictures missing?!

Kyouya: Well that's the payment for making me sleep on that rock-like commoner couch!

Haruhi: ugh! damn rich bastard!

So, what do you guys think? Is kyouya falling for haruhi now? No, I dont think so.. well, NOT YET, at least.. but we'll get to that later.. as for now, I would appreciate any advices and reviews from you guys, be it good or bad.. thank you!!

Oh, by the way, I would like to acknowledge SONATA HIRANO! she volunteered to beta-read this fic so, you guys might see a revised version of this one over the weeken.. okay .


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER... ouran isn't mine ;p obviously! enjoy! :)

--

He is the third son of the all-mighty Ootori. He is the first in his class. He is a very good-looking guy sought by many girls... the list of the outstanding qualities about him could go on for many pages. Most people say that if there is anyone who is close to 'perfection', that would be no other than Kyouya Ootori. However, in spite of 'everything' he have, he knows and feels that 'something' is missing - 'Something' that would complete the exquisite puzzle of his life. What is it? He doesn't have a single clue. He doesn't think about it in the first place. He forces himself to believe that he isn't the type of person who would cry out his feelings loud. He believes in the impracticality of letting one's emotions rule over themselves...

Kyouya doesn't know how, or when, or where it happened; yet, he is certain that somewhere along the journey of his life, he knows that he has finally found the missing 'piece'. He doesn't even know what that missing piece is; all he knows is that he is more than happy with his life right now...

Standing outside his apartment's balcony, enjoying the fresh air of a beautiful day, he found himself **contented**. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door and a familiar voice.

"Kyouya?" knock..knock.. "Kyouya?" He walked to the door, opened it, and greeted his visitor..  
"Haruhi.."  
"Why are you still here? They are all waiting you for you.. They're worried about you.", the little girl immediately said with a concerned look. "The valedictorian is not planning to be late for his graduation now, does he?", she added teasingly.

He then chuckled at the girl's statement. "Of course not." Kyouya motioned outside the the door and locked it. He was about to start walking when haruhi spoke, "And Kyouya..."  
He stared at the little girl in front of him who was now looking at her feet. The girl looked up on him with the most peaceful smile that Kyouya had seen in his entire life.  
"Congratulations..", she said as she walked closer to Kyouya and gave him a gentle hug. "I'm so proud of you..", she whispered.

He didn't hug her back. Yet, he couldn't deny that he liked this strange feeling of warmness. At that moment, he didn't know why, but for some reasons, he felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He didn't know what to do or how to react. That was the 'real' first time that he felt Haruhi's body so close to him; yes, he had been in close proximity with Haruhi when the 'incident' happened during the night at the beach when he tried to teach her a lesson. But, this was different..

He didn't realize that they remained like that for a whole minute. All he knew was he was a bit disappointed when Haruhi released him and stepped back.

"Let's go Kyouya..", she said. He nodded as he savored the voice of the girl who had called him familiarly by his name.

--

**_FLASHBACK.. _**

_A week after he slept over in Haruhi's house, Kyouya received a call from his best friend Tamaki._

_"Monami!! Haruhi told me that you took care of her when she was sick! You don't know grateful I am to know that!! I know I could count on you!! I owe her life on you!!", the blonde excitedly said._

_"Idiot.. It's not like she will die from a mild fever..", he said with a bored tone._

_"I know that..", he whined. "Still, I am grateful Kyouya!"  
Kyouya didn't reply further; he knew that Tamaki wouldn't stop anyway. And he was right.. Tamaki's non-stop talking began again... He just listened to whatever the blonde was saying. _

_"..."_

_"...so would you that for me Kyouya?" _

_"..."_

_"KYOUYA!! My!! What happened to you?! Are you still there?! KYOUYYAAA!!", tamaki began to be hysterical so the shadow king had decided to give him an answer._

_"Tamaki, before you start to think some lame thoughts, I want to ask why did you think that I would grant your request?", he asked with a slight irritation._

_"Oh! Thank goodness you're still there! I thought that a serial killer entered your room and killed you!", tamaki said with a relief. Kyouya just raised his eyebrow at tamaki's 'conclusion'. _

_"Well that would make haruhi happy you know..", said the blonde.  
"And what does it have to do with me tamaki?", the shadow king backfired. "Besides, she didn't tell you that she wanted to go there.."  
"Maybe she was just shy to tell me.. But I know she wanted to go to that fair.. That's why I want you to surprise her Kyouya!"_

_"Right.. That's so noble of you tamaki.", he said sarcastically.  
"Please Kyouya.. I'm begging you.. I just want to cheer haruhi up.." Kyouya knew that the blonde won't give up. They could extend this conversation for the whole day without getting anywhere. Kyouya, being the master manipulator, finally had something in his mind.  
He smirked before saying, "okay Tamaki.. As you wish.." _

_"R-really?", tamaki asked in disbelief. He knew too well that things had NEVER been easy when it has something to do with the shadow king.  
"Kyouya.. are you sure?", he said hesitantly.  
"You heard me right tamaki.. Why? Are you planning to take your word back?", kyouya asked with a devilish tone that sent chills to tamaki.  
"N-no.. Thanks kyouya.. uhm.. So, I think I got to go now..?"  
"Okay then.. Bye tamaki..", he finished. _

_--_

_"Anou.. Kyouya-senpai.. we could home now if you want to..", said the little girl who is reluctantly looking at her silent companion.The raven haired boy looked from side to side, as if observing the place, before saying, "well, since we're here, why not look around for a bit haruhi?" The glint of his eyeglass, accompanied by a familiar smirk, caused the little girl to shiver. 'He's so scary sometimes..' _

_Haruhi sighed heavily. She didn't really understand why or how she ended up in this place today. Truth be said, she would rather stay home and do some chores, than go here in this "fair" with the shadow king. She perfectly recalled that this morning, she received a call from Tamaki, informing her about a "special surprise". Haruhi wasn't excited at all. In fact, she is scared everytime the blonde, or the host club, tries to "surprise" her. Well, most of the time, those "surprises" would just turn out into a tragedy. Two hours after she spoke with Tamaki, Kyouya appeared in front of her door telling her that they would go somewhere. _

_Speaking of Kyouya, haruhi snapped out of her thoughts and noticed that the shadow king is now out of sight. She walked rather quickly and found her senpai standing in front of a booth.  
"Kyouya-senpai.. did you found something interesting?", she asked.  
"No..", he said and then started to walk again.  
Haruhi looked at the walking figure of kyouya. Before she followed him, she first took a peek on what was kyouya looking at earlier. She smiled to herself and took out her wallet. _

_The two of them explored the commoners' fair. Haruhi remembered the time when she and her senpai got stuck in the mall; she noted that Kyouya's behavior now was still the same as before... As they walked, she occasionally giggled at some of Kyouya's ignorant-type of comments regarding the commoners' ways; then again, she occasionally used the 'damn rich bastard' comment whenever Kyouya made some offensive remarks.  
The afternoon passed by pretty fast; they didn't do much aside from walking around and checking stuffs. Haruhi didn't plan to go to this fair anyway; and kyouya, well haruhi was sure that Kyouya didn't want to go there either. So, the two of them agreed to call it a day.The limo arrived in about 5 minutes. Haruhi stepped inside the limo after tachibana opened it. Kyouya followed her closely. When the car started to move, Kyouya pulled out his laptop and began typing. The little girl glanced at him from the side. _

_"Kyouya-senpai.."  
"Yes?" he asked without taking his eyes from the screen. Haruhi took something out from her pocket before speaking. "I want to give you this."  
Kyouya paused his typing and looked at the item on the little girl's hand. He looked up at haruhi and gave her an inquiring look._

_"Well, I thought that this would look nice on you..", she said. Haruhi waited for the shadow king's response. When none came, she spoke again.  
"Uhm.. Just think of it as a token of gratitude senpai..", she said with a smile.  
Still, there was no reaction from Kyouya; he just kept on staring at the item, as if he was analyzing it or something. _

_"Anou.. It's okay senpai..", she said as she lowered her face. "Anyway I should have known by now that you're not interested with things like-".  
Before haruhi could finish her statement, she felt that a hand had grabbed the item from her. She surprisedly looked at the shadow king; then, a small smile crept her face._

_"It's a friendship band..", she said while pointing at the item.  
"A what?", kyouya asked as he looked up at the girl. "A frienship band.. you know.. you wear as a sign of friendship.."_

_The shadow king raised his eyebrow on her. "I'm not a 'sissy' if you haven't noticed yet haruhi.."_

_"It's not only for girls you know... that's why it's blue senpai..", she argued.__ It was a hand made woven men's bracelet with the colors of black, blue, and white. It was not one of those expensive bracelets that kyouya have; this band was too cheap for his luxury, yet, it looked very nice and simple._

_"and why would you give me this...thing?", he asked with an emotionless tone.  
"Well, it's to thank you for bringing me here.. And I thought you might like it", she said with a slight irritation.  
"I see..", he said as he put the bracelet in his chest pocket. "I'm wondering how much would tamaki pay to get this..", he said while he continued typing in his laptop.  
'Ungrateful bastard!', she mumbled as she sweat-dropped while stopping herself from hitting the shadow king. _

_The next day, haruhi ran into Kyouya in one of the libraries of Tokyo U. Yes, they went to the same university; haruhi, of course, depends on her scholarship. She greeted her senpai and sat on the opposite side of him.  
The two of them were deeply engrossed with their own books. They barely said a word to each other. A couple of minutes after, Kyouya started to pack his things up; he said that he has a class, so, he needed to go. Haruhi's eyes accidentally fell into the wrist of the shadow king. She rubbed her eyes to make sure that she actually saw him wearing the bracelet she gave him yesterday. Indeed, that was it. She was so glad to see him use it. Honestly, Haruhi had anticipated that Kyouya would just throw it away, or sell it to tamaki. But, here he was, wearing it nicely in his hand.Kyouya bid her goodbye, and then left. Haruhi smiled and thought, 'I know there's more to you Kyouya-senpai..' she sighed. 'Until when will you hide under your façade senpai?'_

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

**_--_**

"Kyouya..."

The shadow king was brought back to his reverie when he felt something tugging his sleeve. "I'm sorry Haruhi... could you repeat what you said?"

"Ohh.. I just noticed that you don't look well...", she said. "Are you okay?"

"Yes.. I was just thinking..", he answered as he opened the car's door for haruhi. The girl gave him a critical look before she moved to the passenger's seat. With that, they went hurriedly to Kyouya's graduation ceremony.

For the past two years, there is no doubt that the Host Club Queen and the Shadow King have been closer than when they were in High school. Since the day when Haruhi saw Kyouya wore the band she gave him, she felt very comfortable with him. Of course there are times that they would "debate" and argue, but there are also times when they would just have fun. The two of them have also developed a habbit of eating lunch together; well, they go in the same university anyway. Kyouya have been familiar with eating "commoners" foods because of Haruhi. Haruhi have been familiar with the ways of the rich because of Kyouya. Once in a while, he would bring her to some social functions; Haruhi, on the other hand, would bring him to some commoners' places. Also, it has been natural for them to travel without tachibana or the driver. Well, Kyouya made sure that they still have some "hidden" bodyguards following them; however, he preferred to drive the car himself. Haruhi was reluctant at first, seeing that Kyouya is a "very fast" driver; however, she got used to later.

Haruhi couldn't believe how time passed by quickly. It seemed only yesterday when they were inside the 3rd music room. It seemed only yesterday when Tamaki and others left Japan to pursue their own studies. Looking back at the things that happened to her for the past two years, she smiled and found herself **contented**.

--

A/N: awwww.. Kyou-chan's graduation!! hmm.. what will happen next? what about tamaki? ...what about me? lol xD so yea, kyouya and haru are getting real close now! hmm.. and you guys know how it started for the two of them! lol friendship band!! hahahaha... the special feeling may be or may not be there yet.. or maybe, they just didn't realize it yet :) so, what do you guys think?

Thanks for the reviews :) pls give me some love! arigato!!


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: i own nothing ;p

this isn't my favorite chapter.. kinda dramatic..but it is essential for the climax... i hope the next chaps would be better..

--

Kyouya's graduation day celebration.. Ootori main mansion..

The place is pampered with grand decorations, showing just how royal the Ootori household is. The beautiful chandeliers, which cost hundreds of thousands each, provide a nice and relaxing atmosphere for the very large room. The classic music played by the world-class orchestra soothes the mood of every individual that hears it. The grandest foods which are prepared by the top chefs in the country overflows for everyone to savor. There is no doubt that this celebration is indeed carefully prepared by professional party organizers. It is attended by the prominent businessmen and known public figures in Japan...

The whole Ootori family is very busy entertaining the guests left and right; but of course, in every interaction they made, a business deal is always involved. Kyouya himself is making transactions whenever he finds a suitable opportunity.

"Ootori-san, you must be very proud of your son", a man who is probably at his 50s happily said. He is the owner of a big network company in Japan. Yoshio Ootori is meaning to close a deal with him. "He is a very brilliant young man. There's no doubt that he'll one day become one of the most promising businessmen in the world", the man finished.

"Of course", he said with a faint smirk in a businessman-like manner.  
"So, about the proposal that Kyouya made for your company.."

"Ahh, yes! Please extend my congratulations to kyouya-kun for his job well done!" he said enthusiastically. "And congratulations to you as well Ootori-san", with that, the man shook Yoshio's hand.

--

"Tachibana?" haruhi tapped the window that separates her side of the limo with the driver's seat. The man in a smart suit opened the window and said, "Haruhi-sama, I'm afraid that we would be an hour late for the ceremony. I don't know what causes this heavy traffic. Perhaps there's a road accident or something like that.." he finished uneasily.

"It's okay tachibana. It's my fault anyway.. Don't worry.", she smiled but seemed a bit disappointed. "I know kyouya would understand." she reassured, hoping to relief the worry from the driver.

Earlier that day, right after Kyouya's graduation ceremony, Haruhi decided that she will go home first to change her dress. Apparently, she is not comfortable with the dress that she is wearing at the moment.  
Fuyumi gave her that light blue formal long dress. It suits her well and she doesn't really mind using it; however, the frills on the neck and the shoulder area cause a rash irritation to her skin. Kyouya asked Tachibana to drive Haruhi; the trip from her apartment to the Ootori mansion usually takes only about 40 minutes, but due to some unexpected events, the trip will be delayed.

--

Kyouya glanced at his watch; he looked around to see if Haruhi already arrived. He took out his cell phone and walked to find a relatively quiet place.

"Hello..Kyouya? Look, we're stuck here in a traffic jam. I'm really sorry but I guess that we'll arrive late.."

"I see." He answered. "Should I call for the helicopter then?" he asked in a rather devious tone.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "No thank you rich bast--.. Eehh! I mean, Okay, uhm I'll see you later Kyouya!!" she almost slipped her tongue, she hoped that the shadow didn't notice what she was about to say.

He smirked. "Sure.. Bye.." At first, Kyouya finds haruhi's comments as offensive. But, he got used to it eventually. One of his hobbies anyway is to annoy the blunt commoner. To annoy Fujioka Haruhi. His best friend's girlfriend.. Kyouya sighed at the thought of Tamaki. It's been two years since they've last seen each other. The last time that Tamaki visited Japan was when his father launched the new Suoh real estate business. Kyouya was in his second year of college at that time. Tamaki didn't change much when he visited two years ago, he was still the idiot yet unpredictable king. And so, Kyouya doubt that tamaki is any different now.

Three weeks from this night, he would go with Haruhi to visit Tamaki in France. He is excited to see him yes. Although, he wouldn't admit that. However, somewhere in his heart, he could feel a strange pang of pain whenever he thinks about Tamaki and Haruhi together. Not that he is jealous or anything, he said to himself... He forced the thought out of his mind, not wanting to think about it. Haruhi is Tamaki's, and Tamaki is Haruhi's... he is supposed to be glad that two of his close friends are together.  
He went back to the crowd and resumed to his business affairs. This is what he is supposed to do anyway.. This is what an Ootori is supposed to be.

--

Nearly after an hour, Haruhi finally arrives at the Ootori mansion.. She isn't really surprised as to how big this celebration is. Well, she got used to these events after a couple of times that she attended social functions with Kyouya.

She walked around to look for Kyouya. Every now and then, she is approached by handsome bachelors who are attracted by her beauty. Indeed, she looks stunning that night. She is wearing a princess cut dress with thin straps and extends just below her knees. The dark brown color of the dress with a beige ribbon accent on her waist complimented her white skin. Haruhi is indeed a head turner sweet heart.

"Haruhi-chan." She stops and turns around to face the owner of the familiar voice.  
"Ootori-san!" she smiles as she walks toward the man. "I'm sorry for being late"  
"Don't worry about that.. By the way" he faces the two men whom Haruhi thinks as his business partner. "I want you to meet Kagome Asuki and Hatsuhoru Tatsuo. They own the second largest law firm in Japan right now."  
"Hai! It's a pleasure to meet you Kagome-san" she shakes his hand.  
"Hatsuhoru-san" she did the same and smiles. "I'm Fujioka Haruhi."

The two men are obviously fascinated by her. "I heard a lot of good things about you Fujioka-san.. To be honest, I'm actually considering you to be my son's fiance.." Kagome-san said smiling. Before Haruhi could respond, the other man speaks "Now, now Asuki. We want to be fair in here right? Don't forget that I have a son as well.." Haruhi just stared at them dumbfounded. The two men are about to start an argument when Yoshio cleared his throat. "I know that you want someone like Haruhi-chan for your sons, but I want to inform you that she is already taken."

"Oh.. Well, we lost to an Ootori again. Is that right Yoshio?"  
"So, is it Akito-kun or Kyouya-kun?" the other man inquired.  
"Suoh.." Yoshio replied automatically.  
"Really? Now that's interesting.." The other man noticed that Haruhi's face turned slightly down.  
"Alright that's enough. Gomen Fujioka-san if you feel uncomfortable hearing this conversation."

Haruhi looks at the man and forces a smile. "Iye. It's okay.. Uhm, will you excuse me for a while?"

The three men nodded and haruhi drags herself quickly away from the crowd. She finds an empty balcony and sits at the bench. She sighed. She stays in there and enjoys the serenity of the place as she looks at the stars in the sky.

She feels cold after a couple of minutes so she decides to go back inside the main hall. Haruhi almost jumped in surprise when she sees the shadow king standing a few feet away from where she was previously sitting.

"Kyouya! Don't scare me like that" she said with a slight pout. He smirked as he sits on the bench. "I didn't scare you. I was just standing back there.." Haruhi rolled her eyes and sits a few feet beside him.

"Oh kyouya. Here's my gift." She handed him a small box covered with metallic blue gift wrap. "It's not that much but I hope you'll like it." She smiles faintly.  
"Thank you.. Should I open it now?"  
"Later would be better if you don't mind"  
He nodded. Kyouya noticed that Haruhi isn't as enthusiastic as normal. He looks at her and tries to figure out whether she is tired or she has a problem. She is staring blankly in space and she occasionally rubs her arms.

Haruhi's reverie is awakened when she felt that something warm wraps her body. She looks at her side and saw Kyouya's coat around her shoulders."Arigato" she smiles as she looks at him.

"You should know by now that I don't do things for free Haruhi.." Her eyebrows twitched and she is expecting an evil smirk from him. Yet, he is looking straight ahead at nothingness. He looks serious?  
She sighed. "What do you want then.."

He faced her slightly. "I want you to tell me what's bothering you." He said in a monotonous tone and a nonchalant face.

"Eh? Uhm" she paused. "Well, what makes you think I'm bothered with something?"  
The shadow king gave her the famous eyebrow that translates as _'don't you dare question me when I'm the one who is questioning you'_.

"Okay. Okay. I'm perfectly fine Kyouya.. I'm just tired I suppose..."  
Honestly, she doesn't want the shadow king to know that the thought of Tamaki is what's bothering her. Her relationship with Tamaki is getting quite complicated now. She is hoping to resolve some matters when she visits him three weeks from this night. Long distance relationship is not as easy as it was in the beginning.

"Let's go inside Haruhi." He offered his hand to help her stand.  
"Hai." She took is hand. "Thank you" She removed the coat and hands it to Kyouya.

--

"Haruhi-chan! You look beautiful as usual!" the excited sister of Kyouya said. Kyouya looks atHaruhi and is stunned upon seeing how beautiful she is. He didn't really notice her dress earlier for the balcony is dim-lighted. He wants to compliment her, but he decided not to. Kyouya noticed just how many guys are staring at the blunt commoner. He wanted to glare at them, but of course he wouldn't do that. If only he has the right to protect her... _if only..._

--

**A/N:** awwww i know i know this chapter sucks... i'll make it up for you guys someday... i apologize...

as for kyo-chan, we'll see what will happen... stay tuned for more ;p

reviews, advices, everything is welcomed.. please give me some love


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